NCAA football betting

The title of this article is misleading. There is no art to bracketology, although there are a couple of trends that you have to pay attention to. For example, in the first round, a No.12 seed will always beat a No.5 seed at some point. The fifth seed has won just 66.3% of the time in the first round, which isn’t that great when you consider the usual (and apparent) gulf in class. Games between No.7 and No.10 seeds are also dangerous, as the No.7 seed has won just 59.6% of the time. But the No.12 seed is the one to watch: in the second round, they are 11-16 against a No.4 seed, and 7-1 against a No.13 seed in a battle of Cinderellas.

But after the first couple of rounds, the cream usually rises to the top. Since 2005, a No.1 seed has gone to win the Tournament in all but one, Florida in 2005 as a No.3 seed. That’s why your best advice is to follow the entire season so you can watch how teams handle pressure, who the key players, etc. Not only will this help your brackets, but also for making sports betting picks in your sports book.

There are several different traditions which are followed by fans and one that is followed by every team no matter the school.

Firstly, perhaps the biggest tradition in all of March Madness is the cutting of the nets. After the winning team finishes playing the game, the captain’s of the winning basketball team, usually climbs a ladder, for the basket they were scoring on and cuts the net down. This is a nostalgic moment, as teams since the 1960s UCLA Bruins dynasty have been cutting down the nets. When a team cuts down the net, it is the best souvenir as they know that they have made it as champions.

Some traditions followed by the fans, are brackets, watching the first game, bubble Sunday and the final four. Whether it’s at work or amongst friends, one of the biggest appeals to the March Madness tournament is the bracket pool. Here people pick which teams will come out of the initial divisions and move all the way to the final two teams battling over the championship. The winning prizes for the brackets are usually of monetary value.

Watching the first game of the tournament on the Thursday, aside from the final four, brings in the most viewership as it is the start of the tournament. The final four are the two semifinal matches which also bring in the most viewership, perhaps more so then the championship game. Finally, the Sunday bubble is for 37 teams of at large bids who are vying for the last few spots to get into the March Madness tournament.

Fans and critics alike betting on the Cavaliers have become restless with the team, as they have had stellar regular season campaigns and lackluster playoff performances. Many have questioned James’s commitment to the team after the most recent defeat. However if the Spartans can pry Tom Izzo away from the Michigan State Spartans program, they feel, he can be the missing piece of the Cavaliers puzzle in putting them over the top.

Furthermore, Izzo has a strong resume at the college level as he has guided the Spartans to one national title, back in 2000 and six final four appearances in the past 12 seasons. In regards to joining the Cavaliers, the belief among experts is that Izzo was offered the position not only because he is one of the best coaches at the college level, but also because Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert is a Michigan State alumni and big fan of Izzo.

However, betting on the new Cavaliers coach whether it is Michigan State legend Izzo or someone else will be tricky, until the team knows what superstar Lebron James wants to do. If James stays, one can feel safe in wagering that Izzo jumps at the opportunity, as who would not want to coach Lebron James? Conversely, if James walks you can guarantee management will have a difficult time picking a coach as, the team looks to be heading on a downward spiral.

Butler’s run to the championship game was powered by Gordon Hayward, who decided to keep his name in the NBA draft hat.  The 6′9″ forward can play inside and out, and he’s a great shooter for someone his size, but he’s not that athletic, and he’s kind of frail physically.  Hayward is being projected as a mid-first round pick, and some even think that he could sneak into the lottery.  Hayward figured that he should strike while the iron is hot and make his money now, but you can’t help but wonder what kind of player he would be with another year in college, and remember, Butler didn’t play the toughest competition in the country before the tournament.

Jimmer Fredette exploded over the second half of the season, and he ended up 12^th in the NCAA in scoring.  Fredette can score from anywhere inside 35 feet, and BYU are ecstatic that he decided to come back for another year of seasoning.  Fredette also isn’t that athletic, and he can be taken advantage of on the defensive end of the floor, which will be the main thing he works on this year.  But he was only being tipped for late in the first round or early in the second.  With some more work, Fredette could overcome the betting odds and end up as a lottery pick next year.

Florida State’s 7-foot-1 center, Solomon Alabi, announced his intention to enter the 2010 NBA draft. While Alabi is a great free throw shooter at 7-feet-1, and also has great skills on the boards, he can get pushed around in a physical game, and seems to take bad shots from outside the paint from time to time. Many fans of sports betting have posited that Alabi is not ready for the NBA, and would benefit greatly from more time to work on his fundamentals, footwork and speed. Alabi could also stand to bulk up more, something that would help him from being pushed around in physical play.

In other draft news, the freshman phenom John Wall has announced he will enter the 2010 NBA Draft. The six-foot-four guard for the University of Kentucky has swept the nation with his style of play and bubbling personality, and most fans and pundits have him as a clear number one pick overall. While Wall has not yet signed with an agent, reports indicate he is finalizing his decision. Many fans have speculated he will eventually sign with LeBron James’ marketing company, LRMR.

Finally, in other UK-NBA Draft news, Patrick Patterson has announced he will also enter the draft. After three years with the Wildcats, it appears the junior is officially done with college, and looking to start his professional career.

On Saturday, the semi-finals of the greatest tournament in collegiate athletics will unfold, and most onlookers are surprised at just which teams will
be playing, and which have packed it in for the season.

While Both Duke and West Virginia were considered unlikely to make this far in the tournament, West Virginia have clearly defied the greater Final Four odds. After the Mountaineers shocking upset of the
Kentucky Wildcats, the number two team picked to win it all after Kansas, most fans accepted that predictions were out the window, and March Madness
had again been a tournament of upsets.

West Virginia used its impenetrable defense to stifle Kentucky, and they will have to employ a similar strategy against Duke. The Mountaineers,
however, has been dealt a blow in the form of injury to point-guard Darryl Bryant. “Tuck”, as he’s known, broke his foot earlier last week, and is
currently being fitted with a special shoe that relieves pressure. It is unclear whether or not he will play against Duke, although sportsbook cappers currently do not expect him to play.

For their part, the Blue Devils are a team very strong on the perimeter on both ends of the court, and their maturity ensures level-headed play. Lance
Thomas and Brian Zoubek will do their part on the inside to compliment the three-point game. Duke’s stellar defense, however, will be what makes the
marked difference in this game. Duke held opponents to fewer than 62 points per game in the regular season, and West Virginia showed a problem with
turnovers in their game against Washington. If Duke can negate the size of West Virginia, they can vanquish the Mountaineers’ hopes for championship
glory.

Could your fragile psyche handle another shock after what has already transpired in this year’s 2010 NCAA Tournament? Don’t put the Tums away yet.

While many quibbled about the details, the chorus of sportsbook pundits was nearly unanimous in their
support of Kansas as the team tipped to win it all in this year’s NCAA Tournament. When Kansas fell to underdog Northern Iowa, the focus turned to the
Kentucky Wildcats. Observers took solace in the knowledge that, despite the shock served up in the form of Kansas’ destruction, we could all safely
look to the Wildcats to win it all. Then the roof caved in.

With their unexpected loss to West Virginia, Kentucky was out, and everybody threw up their arms and threw their now useless brackets in the trash. The
Final Four now looks like this: Duke vs. West Virginia, and Butler vs. Michigan State. Wait, what? That’s right, Butler turned over the apple cart to
upset Syracuse and make the Final Four. Butler takes on Michigan State on Saturday at 6:07 p.m., and Duke takes on West Virginia at 8:47 p.m. The
winners of both games will meet on Monday at 9 p.m., and all games take place from the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

For fans of NCAA basketball betting, Butler is probably the longest shot to win
the tournament, but they are still a team that has proven all their detractors wrong thus far. Michigan State is also comfortable in the role of the
underdog, however, with tournament powerhouse coach Tom Izzo at the helm, many underestimate the Spartans at their own peril.

When you’re learning how to bet on March Madness, one thing should stand out: the No.1 seed usually have a good chance of making it to the Final Four. But not every top-seeded team will make it there: that happened just once, in 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA advanced to the Alamodome in San Antonio. Here’s a look at this year’s No.1 seeds, and two of those coaches were there in 2008, staging a classic championship game for the ages.

Kansas

The Jayhawks, in the Midwest, are the top overall seed, and the Big 12 regular-season and tournament champs are going for their first title since that 2008 season, when Bill Self’s Kansas beat John Calipari’s Memphis in an overtime epic. Kansas may be the deepest team in the country, and they have experience with Sherron Collins.

Kentucky

The Wildcats are tops in the East region, and they may have the most pure talent with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins leading the way. Kentucky is still inexperienced with a starting rotation of three freshmen, but they’re explosive. They’re also coached by Calipari, who would love another crack at Self and Kansas.

Syracuse

The Orangemen, the No.1 seed in the West, lost to Georgetown in the Big East tournament, but more worryingly, Arinze Onuaku may miss the first weekend with a knee injury. Syracuse is deep enough to get by without Onuaku, but Wes Johnson hasn’t been playing his best lately.

Duke

The Blue Devils are the top seed in the South, and they’re a tougher team than people give them credit for, led by Jon Scheyer. But Duke doesn’t have much of an inside game, so when their perimeter shooters get cold, they could have a problem. It hasn’t happened much this year, but it could.

The road to March Madness betting became a little clearer for several NCAA teams yesterday.

Notre Dame took a step closer to a tournament bid after Luke Harangody dropped 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench in the Fighting Irish’s 68-56 victory over Seton Hall. A healthy Harangody makes Notre Dame a contender in the Big East, who face a tough task against the second seed Panthers in the quarterfinal. Georgetown will meet top ranked Syracuse after dropping South Florida 69-49, while Cincinnati will battle West Virginia after barely getting by Louisville 68-66.

Montana pulled off an incredible comeback worthy of March Madness magic with a 22-point rally over Weber State 66-65 to win the Big Sky tournament championship. Anthony Johnson put up a career-high 42 points, a conference record. By stunning the number one seed in the bracket, Montana earned an automatic bid in the NCAA tournament, its first since 2006.

Number 12 ranked Nebraska upset number five ranked and defending Big 12 champion Missouri 75-60 to advance to the final eight. Number one ranked Kansas found out its opponent as Texas Tech dropped Colorado 82-67.

Championship week extends in to this weekend, with several teams still trying to qualify for the big tournament. If Montana’s epic rally and Nebraska’s underdog victory are any indication, there should be a few more surprises along the way to madness.

]]> http://www.marchmadnessbetting.us/2010/03/11/fighting-irish-rolling-as-championship-week-continues/feed/ http://www.marchmadnessbetting.us/2010/02/11/march-madness-in-like-a-lion%e2%80%a6-out-like%e2%80%a6-a-lion/ http://www.marchmadnessbetting.us/2010/02/11/march-madness-in-like-a-lion%e2%80%a6-out-like%e2%80%a6-a-lion/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 02:25:08 +0000 admin http://www.marchmadnessbetting.us/?p=25

The time is fast approaching. The greatest tournament in the history of collegiate sports. The most exciting month(s) of athletics during the year. March. Madness.

NCAA basketball fans are salivating at the prospect of another March, and the tournament this year is shaping up to be extremely dynamic and competitive. While the tournament takes shape and remaining teams look to either hold on to, or solidify their chances at a tournament berth, sports betting odds makers review data and the favorites emerge.

The top contenders at this point are Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, Syracuse, and Michigan State. While Kansas is the current odds favorite, Kentucky’s amazing season cannot be ignored. While many observers have labeled the team too young or inexperienced to capture the championship, the team has heretofore passed every test they’ve faced, and must be credited with wins over legitimate opponents. Still, their RPI is 6^th in the nation, and their strength of schedule is extremely low – ranked 52^nd overall.

Overall, the favorites to make the finals are Kansas and Syracuse, but how the rest of the tournament plays out will make for very interesting watching. Florida’s lack of depth means they are unlikely to make noise in the tournament, while Tennessee’s shellacking of Kansas earlier this year makes for an interesting potential storyline. Michigan State are set to dominate the Big Ten, while Syracuse has emerged as a serious dark horse to take it all.